Turnbull must establish Inspector General of Animal Welfare now

Posted by Emily Dowswell16sc on April 19, 2018

Live exporters and farm groups are now lining up to support Labor’s independent Inspector General of Animal Welfare and Live Animal Exports.

Now we just need the Turnbull Government to do the right thing and act on establishing the role: the community wants it, the industry needs it, and animals deserve it. There is nothing to prevent the Government announcing the appointment of an Inspector General today.

Four years have been lost since Barnaby Joyce – with the support of his Prime Minister and his Coalition colleagues - abolished Labor’s Inspector General. We’ve now seen what harm unconditional Government support for a sector can do to the sector.

Labor welcomes the support of the live export sector’s key stakeholders for the establishment of the Inspector General of Animal Welfare. We hope we can now work with them to achieve broader reform on standards, accountability, culture, enforcement and penalties.